Death of a Thief
by DoctorH
Summary: A Murdoch Mysteries teleplay. A professional thief is shot and killed, and the deceased's brother fears (with good reason) that he will now be targeted for death. There are odd aspects to the case, including an unusual reconstruction of the shooting by Dr. Ogden, and Murdoch finds it a challenge to sort through the evidence. As always, a solution to the mystery is included.
1. Act 1

(FADE IN. Establishing shot of downtown Toronto. CUT TO: Ext. of the rooming house. There is a cart parked outside the building suitable for moving a dead body, but there is no one near the cart. A CONSTABLE stands guard at the entrance to the rooming house. MURDOCH approaches the entrance. As MURDOCH approaches the entrance, a PHOTOGRAPHER emerges, with equipment. MURDOCH addresses the PHOTOGRAPHER.)

MURDOCH  
You have taken your photographs?

PHOTOGRAPHER  
Yes, sir, Detective Murdoch. Doctor Odgen is still on the scene. Take the stairs up.

MURDOCH  
Thank you.

(MURDOCH proceeds to the door. CONSTABLE recognizes MURDOCH and grants entry; MURDOCH and the CONSTABLE acknowledge one another as MURDOCH enters the building. CUT TO: Int. of the rooming house, a hallway. MURDOCH climbs some stairs to the hallway and sees OGDEN walking toward him. OGDEN is grim. Farther down the hallway stand three men, apparently waiting in the hallway outside a room. FIRST MAN and SECOND MAN are in their 20s and are fit; they are dressed as men to move a body and they have a litter with them. MAGEE is older and more slight; his attire indicates that he is low-class.)

OGDEN  
Ah, William. The body is in the room at the far end, there. After you've had an opportunity to observe, let those men (indicating) know and they will move the body to the morgue.

MURDOCH  
I spoke with the photographer outside; he says he has taken photographs. Your examination is finished, then, as well?

OGDEN  
(uncomfortably) Yes, I've done all I can do here. I have instructed George Crabtree to make several careful measurements of the scene. I must be getting to the morgue; I have much to do before I can conduct my autopsy.

MURDOCH  
Of course. I will observe the scene and speak with you later.

OGDEN  
Yes.

(MURDOCH moves to give OGDEN a quick kiss, but she politely declines, indicating that she is not as clean as she would prefer. MURDOCH understands and the two of them smile and awkwardly blow kisses at each other. OGDEN proceeds toward the downstairs as MURDOCH proceeds toward the scene of the crime. The room holding the body has the door almost closed, but the door is blocked open by a small box. All of the men in the hallway stand up straighter as MURDOCH approaches.)

MURDOCH  
(to the men) You gentlemen are here to take away the body?

FIRST MAN  
Yes, Detective.

MAGEE  
(uncertain whether he was addressed) I'm not, uh, Detective, I'm not with them.

MURDOCH  
And who are you?

MAGEE  
My name is Magee. I'm a neighbour of Johnson (indicating the room). I was one of the people who reported the gunshot. Your constable said I should wait here. 'The Detective will want to talk to you,' he said.

MURDOCH  
All right.

FIRST MAN  
We were told you were on your way and that we should wait until you had arrived and could view the scene. When you give us the word, we'll take away the body.

MURDOCH  
Very well. Please wait here, all of you.

FIRST MAN  
Yes, sir. Call us when you are ready.

MURDOCH  
Yes.

(MURDOCH enters the room: he carefully pushes on the door to open it, and steps over the small box that had been holding the door open. CUT TO: Int. of the rooming house, the room. As MURDOCH steps inside, he releases the door, which tries to close of its own accord, but is stopped by the box. MURDOCH takes note of the fact that the door tends to close by itself. MURDOCH surveys the room. The room is a fairly small room, furnished with a bed, a dresser, a desk, a chair, a wardrobe and various modest furnishings. On the floor next to the bed is a body of a man, with a sizable pool of blood spreading from the body. The man is well-dressed, and wears a jacket and a tie. The body is fairly close to the head of the bed near a wall; on the wall, about 1.8 meters above the floor, is a blood stain, and in the upper part of the blood stain is a bullet hole. About three meters from the body in the other direction is a pistol on the floor, near the chair. CRABTREE is present and is making some notes, he looks up as MURDOCH enters. MURDOCH crosses himself, then turns to CRABTREE.)

MURDOCH  
What have you, George?

CRABTREE  
Sir: shortly after seven o'clock this morning, residents of the building contacted the Constabulary to report a gunshot. I arrived here at about seven-twenty and began an investigation. About ten minutes later, I came to this room. At least one resident, a man named Magee—

MURDOCH  
I met Mister Magee in the hallway, briefly.

CRABTREE  
Mister Magee identified himself as the man who had telephoned the Constabulary to report the gunshot; he was adamant that the gunshot had come from this room. I knocked and got no reply. I then tried the door and found it unlocked. I entered and discovered the scene essentially as you see it. I checked the victim for signs of life and found none. I asked Mister Magee to telephone the Constabulary to report the crime and request immediate assistance; and he did so. Doctor Ogden arrived shortly afterward in the company of another constable, and she confirmed that the victim was dead but otherwise did not disturb the scene.

MURDOCH  
Do we know the identity of the victim?

CRABTREE  
The man who rented this room was known to his neighbours as a 'Mister Johnson'; but Mister Magee has told me that he believes that name to be an alias, and I have not confirmed the man's true name.

MURDOCH  
Have you confirmed that the deceased was the man who rented this room?

CRABTREE  
No, sir. No one has been allowed to enter the room to make any sort of identification.

(MURDOCH looks at the pistol, the body, the blood on the wall, the bullet hole on the wall, and the pistol again.)

MURDOCH  
(indicating the pistol) Has anyone touched this weapon?

CRABTREE  
No, sir, it has not been disturbed. I feel I should mention, sir, that when I entered the room, the door closed behind me. In order to exit, I had to use the doorknob. If the killer's finger marks were on the knob, I may have inadvertently fouled them.

MURDOCH  
Understandable under the circumstances. The scene has been photographed?

CRABTREE  
Yes, it has. The photographer finished a few minutes before you arrived.

MURDOCH  
And so the photographer has been on the scene, and Doctor Ogden, and me, and you—

CRABTREE  
And the victim. And the killer. No one else.

MURDOCH  
I'll need you to check the rest of the room for finger marks, George. On the weapon, on the desk, on the chair—

CRABTREE  
Yes, sir.

MURDOCH  
And I will also need exact measurements: of the position of the body and the pistol; of the dimensions of the room; and of the location of that bullet hole.

CRABTREE  
Yes, sir, Doctor Ogden has already directed me to make those measurements. (uncomfortably) She mentioned that the scene seemed very odd to her, but she did not explain what she meant.

MURDOCH  
Very well. Have you made all of the measurements you need to make with respect to the body itself?

CRABTREE  
Yes, sir, I have.

MURDOCH  
Then, unless you can think of anything else that needs to be done before the body is removed, I will advise the men in the hallway that they may remove the body.

(CRABTREE assents.)

CRABTREE  
I have a lot of work in front of me.

MURDOCH  
I will admonish the men in the hallway not to touch anything else. Please observe them to make sure that they do not disturb any of the other evidence.

CRABTREE  
Of course, sir.

(MURDOCH exits the room. CUT TO: The hallway. MURDOCH gestures to FIRST MAN and SECOND MAN to proceed, and they pick up the litter and get ready to enter the room. MURDOCH speaks a few unheard words to them, and they nod, and enter the room. MURDOCH then addresses MAGEE.)

MURDOCH  
Do you live in this building, Mister Magee?

MAGEE  
Yeah, below Johnson. I heard a gunshot, and was pretty sure it came from the room above me. I knocked on Jack Nimmark's door— he's got a telephone— and he called the constabulary. I told all this to the Constable (indicating the room), already.

MURDOCH  
Did you see anyone leaving the building after the gunshot?

MAGEE  
No. Didn't see anyone running away, if that's what you mean.

MURDOCH  
Did you know Mister Johnson?

MAGEE  
We were friendly, but not friends. (in a lower tone) His real name isn't Johnson, I'm pretty sure.

MURDOCH  
What makes you say so?

MAGEE  
I think he's a criminal. I think he was hiding. Johnson, whatever his name was, him and his brother were crooks. I could sometimes hear them planning things in the room above me. And in the past few days, I'm pretty sure I heard Johnson say that there were some people were after the two of them.

MURDOCH  
You mean, you think Mister Johnson and his brother were hiding from the Constabulary?

MAGEE  
No, I mean that Johnson and his brother were hiding from some other criminals who wanted to kill them. Maybe one of those criminals that was looking for him, they found him and done this.

(MURDOCH nods as if acknowledging the possibility without accepting it. FADE OUT.)


	2. Act 2

(FADE IN. Establishing shot of Toronto. CUT TO: Ext. of Station House Number Four. CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Brackenreid's office. BRACKENREID is at his desk, holding a file. MURDOCH stands.)

BRACKENREID  
So this fellow who calls himself Johnson is really (indicating the file) Johnny Teller? You're certain?

MURDOCH  
A search of the room turned up papers indicating that Johnson was actually Teller, and the exact match of Teller's finger marks to those of the man in the morgue confirms it.

BRACKENREID  
(looking through the file) Johnny Teller: professional thief. Two convictions for jewellery theft; suspected of theft of automobiles, livestock, works of art. You name it, he steals it. It says here he was a very clever fellow; also says he is known to work with his younger brother, Calvin.

MURDOCH  
Calvin Teller was arrested last year for theft of an automobile, but was never charged. Calvin is suspected of aiding and abetting his brother in other thefts. I have asked the constables to find Calvin Teller and bring him in for questioning.

BRACKENREID  
You think Calvin had anything to do with his brother's death?

MURDOCH  
It's too early to say; but he may be a good source of leads on potential suspects. According to a neighbour named Magee, who lived below Johnny Teller, Johnny and his brother were worried about being found by someone, and killed. And Mister Magee also said that they weren't hiding from the Constabulary so much as they were hiding from some other person or persons unknown; persons who intended to do them harm.

BRACKENREID  
This neighbour heard it all, eh?

MURDOCH  
Actually, he says he heard only a few bits and pieces, mostly when voices were raised. On the whole, he did not hear very much. He did say that, yesterday, he heard Johnny Teller and his brother being very alarmed that someone would find them. Mister Magee also said that, at the time of the shooting, he did not hear any loud voices, but he did hear a gunshot.

BRACKENREID  
Just a gunshot? He didn't hear anything else? Such as a body striking the floor?

MURDOCH  
I did not have the opportunity to question Mister Magee at length; he claimed that he would be in trouble with his employer if he did not report for work. He promised me he will be return later today for more questioning in depth. (nodding) I strongly suspect that Mister Magee DID hear something else this morning, other than a gunshot and a falling body.

BRACKENREID  
And this Magee didn't see anyone fleeing the scene?

MURDOCH  
He did not, and neither did anyone else, apparently. There were two doors through which the killer may have exited the building, and there also may have been at least three open windows. Regardless of what path the killer used for egress, the killer was not seen leaving.

BRACKENREID  
Have you talked to Doctor Ogden?

MURDOCH  
Yes, briefly. She expects to finish her post-mortem examination shortly. When you and I are finished here, I will be going to the morgue to see what Julia may have found.

BRACKENREID  
Right. How about finger marks?

MURDOCH  
There are no finger marks on the weapon that was found near the body. That is, there appear to be partial finger marks on parts of the weapon, but none from which we could make a positive indentification. The trigger and butt in particular reveal no useful finger marks. Constable Crabtree is checking the room for other finger marks as we speak.

BRACKENREID  
Sounds like we don't have much, but it's early in the game. Right. Get to the morgue, Murdoch.

MURDOCH  
Yes, sir.

(CUT TO: Establishing shot of the morgue. CUT TO: Int. of the morgue. The slab is vacant and clean. OGDEN is making some notes. A close-up of the notes shows a cluttered diagram with a human figure near a wall. A line angles down from the wall through the neck of the human figure. Lengths and rough angles are marked on the diagram. There are handwritten scribbles at various places on the diagram, such as 'Is this distance correct?' and 'How far?' and 'What is this angle?' MURDOCH enters. OGDEN sees him and smiles.)

MURDOCH  
Julia! It looks like you're finished with your examination?

OGDEN  
Yes, I am. I may still need to do some reconstruction and some mathematical computations, however, before I can prepare a formal report. But here is a general account of what happened.

(OGDEN stands.)

OGDEN  
The deceased Mister John Teller was facing the weapon when he was shot. He was shot just once. (pointing to her throat) The bullet entered the neck here, tore open a major artery, and exited (pointing to the back of her neck, higher up than the entrance wound) here. The shot caused massive, rapid blood loss. Unconsciousness followed within seconds, and he collapsed where he stood. Death from blood loss followed within minutes.

(MURDOCH indicates the pointed-out entrance wound and exit wound sites on OGDEN's neck.)

MURDOCH  
The exit wound was higher than the entrance wound?

OGDEN  
Correct. The wounds indicate an upward path by the bullet. Upon exiting, the bullet then struck the wall at a place higher than the exit wound, further indicating an upward path.

(MURDOCH pretends to hold a gun with his arm extending straight out.)

MURDOCH  
So it would appear that the killer was not holding the pistol in this fashion, which would produce a level trajectory rather than an upward trajectory.

OGDEN  
I agree. Bullet paths can deflect upon striking an object, of course; but as far as I am able to determine the bullet struck no bone or anything else that would lead to a significant deflection of its path.

(MURDOCH lowers his arm.)

OGDEN  
Also, the shot was not fired from very close range. I should say it was fired from at least four feet away, perhaps farther. There is one other odd thing. The victim's right hand was bloody, as he apparently brought his right hand to his throat wound after being shot. When the blood was washed away from his hand, however, I found a straight-line shallow laceration.

(OGDEN demonstrates on her own right hand.)

OGDEN  
The laceration extended from here to here. One possibility for such a wound is that the bullet that struck the victim in the throat first grazed his right hand. (sigh) I haven't yet satisfied myself that I know the approximate positions of the victim, or the location of the killer, or from where the shot was fired.

(MURDOCH tries pantomiming or demonstrating various scenarios.)

MURDOCH  
Given what you've told me, perhaps the victim raised his hand defensively in anticipation of the shot. Perhaps the killer held the pistol at hip or waist level and fired upward. Perhaps the killer fired immediately upon drawing the pistol and did not take time to aim. (sigh) There are many other possibilities. If you are able to perform a reconstruction, I would expect we would be able to eliminate some of those possibilities.

OGDEN  
I hope so. (very concerned) I must say, William, that I cannot quite see in my mind's eye HOW this shot could have been fired; but I will go over all of my notes and distill what I do know, and hopefully things will make more sense. (sigh) But at this time, I CAN state with reasonable certainty that there was one wound inflicted, that the wound that was inflicted was fatal, and that the time of death is consistent with witness reports of a gunshot at about seven-ten this morning.

MURDOCH  
It was seven-ten in the morning. Yet Mister Teller was dressed for the day.

OGDEN  
Not only was he dressed, I can also say that he had washed himself that morning.

MURDOCH  
Suggesting, perhaps, that he was expecting to meet with the person who would later shoot him.

OGDEN  
One more thing, William. When I removed his clothing, I found that Mister Teller was armed with a pistol, concealed in his coat pocket. I've given the pistol to Constable Higgins for storage. Constable Higgins tells me that the pistol was loaded but had not been fired.

MURDOCH  
Suggesting, perhaps, that Mister Teller thought he might need a firearm to defend himself. And if his weapon was in his coat pocket, that may suggest that he did not perceive an immediate threat to himself, and that he was shot by surprise.

(CUT TO: Ext. of Station House Number Four, later the same day. CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Murdoch's office. MURDOCH is perusing a file, when CRABTREE knocks on the door. MURDOCH puts down the file and waves CRABTREE in.)

MURDOCH  
Come in, George.

CRABTREE  
Thank you, sir. I wanted to let you know about what I've found so far, with regard to the scene of the shooting this morning.

MURDOCH  
Proceed.

(CRABTREE hands MURDOCH some sheets of paper.)

CRABTREE  
I have made detailed measurements of the room including the locations of various object in the room, including the bullet hole. I have made two copies of these measurements, and gave one copy to Doctor Ogden.

(MURDOCH examines the documents.)

MURDOCH  
Yes. Yes. Very good, George.

(MURDOCH puts the documents on his desk. CRABTREE hands MURDOCH an envelope, which MURDOCH opens and looks into; he sees a bullet.)

CRABTREE  
I have determined that the bullet entered the wall at an upward angle but with very little sideways motion. I have also recovered a single bullet from the wall. It is of a kind and caliber that can be fired by the weapon found at the scene.

MURDOCH  
As we suspected.

CRABTREE  
I have further recovered a number of finger marks from the bed stand, the table, the desk, and the chair. As best I am able to tell, all of the finger marks belong either to the deceased, Johnny Teller, or to his brother, Calvin Teller. I can find no clear finger marks of any other person. As I reported earlier, there were no useful finger marks on the weapon found at the scene, just fragments.

MURDOCH  
Whoever the killer was, he left no obvious traces of his identity at the scene.

CRABTREE  
That seems to be the case, sir.

(There is a knock on the office door. MURDOCH and CRABTREE turn to see HIGGINS, who is grinning a bit.)

HIGGINS  
Begging your pardon, sir. I've brought Calvin Teller to the Station House; he is in the Interview Room.

MURDOCH  
Good work, Henry! You found him!

HIGGINS  
Actually, sir, he found me. He called me into an alleyway and identified himself. I of course immediately told him he was under arrest, and he said that was exactly what he wanted.

CRABTREE  
He wanted to be placed under arrest?

HIGGINS  
Yes, he did.

(CUT TO: Interview Room. CALVIN is in the chair, guarded by HIGGINS and questioned by MURDOCH.)

MURDOCH  
Why did you want to be placed under arrest, Mister Teller?

CALVIN  
Because I need protection. I'd rather be in jail than be dead! Whoever killed my brother will be coming after me. So I am willing to confess to the crime of burglary.

MURDOCH  
(somewhat bemused) Which burglary would that be?

CALVIN  
(flustered) Any burglary! If you show me a list of all of your unsolved burglaries, I'm certain to find one on the list that's 'mine.' And I'll confess to it.

MURDOCH  
Tell me what you know about your brother's death.

CALVIN  
I heard he was shot this morning. Shot and killed. In his room.

MURDOCH  
Yes, he was. Where were you at the time?

CALVIN  
(nervously suspicious) Am— am I a suspect?

MURDOCH  
I just want to know where you were at about seven-ten this morning.

CALVIN  
I have a room on Richmond Street. I was there. It's about a ten-minute walk from my brother's room.

MURDOCH  
You've been to your brother's room?

CALVIN  
Yes, many times.

MURDOCH  
When was the most recent time?

CALVIN  
Yesterday. After supper. (lowers his eyes) My brother and I talked that night about the people who were threatening us and what we could do about it.

MURDOCH  
Who was threatening you?

CALVIN  
(with grit) We were worried about three men. Arthur Farrell. Henry Boothe. (ominously) And Edgar Winstone.

MURDOCH  
Do you know whether your brother was planning to meet with any of those three men this morning, or that your brother was planning to meet with anyone else this morning?

CALVIN  
As far as I know, Johnny wasn't planning to meet anyone this morning.

MURDOCH  
But you think that Messrs. Farrell, Boothe, and Winstone acted together to kill your brother, and now want to kill you?

CALVIN  
No! I need to explain. I don't think these three fellows are in league with each other. I doubt they even know each other! But I'd wager one of them murdered Johnny.

MURDOCH  
Can you tell me why these men would want to kill your brother, or you?

CALVIN  
Different reasons. Farrell, he's a competitor of ours. He earns money stealing valuable things. He's angry that Johnny and I got a job that he wanted. But I don't remember what job it was.

MURDOCH  
(unimpressed) I see. And Mister Boothe?

CALVIN  
Boothe, he wanted us to steal a work of art, a painting. Paid us part of the price in advance. But we couldn't steal the painting, and the fact that we tried to steal it tipped off the owner that the painting was at risk, so he secured the painting so that it couldn't be stolen.

MURDOCH  
(still unimpressed) And this Mister Boothe wants his money back?

CALVIN  
Yes. Which we don't have. (pause) The one who I'm most afraid of is Winstone. My brother and I had heard that Winstone had obtained a pistol, and he was hunting for us. He wants revenge; he thinks we stole something from him.

MURDOCH  
Did you?

CALVIN  
(taking a breath) Yes. A ledger. Why that ledger was so valuable, I don't know, but Johnny and I swiped it and gave it to a Mister Grey, whose real identity we don't know. We got paid pretty well for that job. Somehow, someone found out that it was Johnny and me that took Winstone's ledger, and Winstone has been after us ever since.

MURDOCH  
(skeptically) None of these strikes me as being especially strong motives for murder, Mister Teller.

(CALVIN is unhappy to hear MURDOCH say this.)

CALVIN  
I tell you: they were after my brother and me! They got my brother! And now they'll be after me! Please put me in jail so that they can't kill me!

(CUT TO: Ext. of the morgue, later in the same day. CUT TO: Int. of the morgue. OGDEN has a skeleton on a stand, near a wall. Extending from the wall is a wooden dowel that is affixed near the vertebrae in the neck of the skeleton. The right hand of the skeleton has affixed to it a shorter dowel. OGDEN checks the measurements and her notes, makes a modest adjustment to the model, and makes her own measurements with a measuring stick. OGDEN is satisfied that the reconstruction is accurate; she nods; but she is still puzzled. She takes the right hand of the skeleton and tries to position its dowel along the alignment of the longer dowel. She is unsatisfied with her efforts at positioning the hand, although some positions seem more natural than others. She drops the skeleton's hand and steps away from the model, and makes some notes. A closeup of her notes shows a diagram different from the one seen before, but still cluttered with measurements and handwritten notations and questions. This diagram has two body outlines in two slightly different positions and two lines of gunshot and various distances and angles. OGDEN makes some notes and puts down her pencil.)

OGDEN  
(to herself) Well, that seems a bit odd. But is it consistent? (after a long pause) Looks like I'm going to have to do some trigonometry. (looking around) Where is that handbook? And where did I leave my slide rule?

(CUT TO: Ext. of Station House Number Four, same day. CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Interview Room. MAGEE is on the chair, questioned by a seated MURDOCH, with CRABTREE taking notes.)

MAGEE  
Like I said, I heard a shot. Then I heard what sounded like a body hitting the floor. That's pretty much all I heard.

MURDOCH  
About how long was the time interval between the sound of the shot and the sound of the falling body?

MAGEE  
(imitating the sounds) Bang! Kung! (pause of about three seconds) Frump! About like that. Then maybe ten or fifteen seconds later, I heard footsteps of someone leaving in a hurry.

MURDOCH  
All right. That is very helpful. I noticed that you said the shot was two noises: bang-kung. Does that mean—?

MAGEE  
Oh, yeah. The bang was the shot. The kung was something hard hitting the floor.

MURDOCH  
The gun dropping to the floor, perhaps?

MAGEE  
Yeah, that's what it had to be. The two noises came close together.

MURDOCH  
Now, before the sound of the shot, and things falling to the floor, did you hear anything else?

MAGEE  
Some voices. Couldn't make out what was said, though.

MURDOCH  
Whose voices? Did you recognize any voice?

MAGEE  
One was Johnson, I suppose. Can't be sure. The other one, I don't know.

MURDOCH  
Only two voices? More than two?

MAGEE  
At least two. That's about all I can say for sure. I think it was only two.

MURDOCH  
Were you able to hear anything that may have been said?

MAGEE  
(almost apologetic) No, not really.

MURDOCH  
Might you have heard any names?

MAGEE  
(straining to recall) Not that morning.

MURDOCH  
You heard names on earlier occasions?

MAGEE  
Maybe. Not sure. Names like what?

MURDOCH  
How about the name Brackenreid?

MAGEE  
(trying to remember) No, I don't think so.

MURDOCH  
Higgins?

MAGEE  
No.

MURDOCH  
Farrell?

(MAGEE stiffens. That name rings a bell.)

MAGEE  
Farrell. Yeah. I think I have heard Johnson say that name a time or two.

MURDOCH  
How about Boothe?

MAGEE  
(nodding uncertainly) Maybe. That name sounds familiar, too.

MURDOCH  
Myers?

MAGEE  
No.

MURDOCH  
Pendrick?

MAGEE  
No.

MURDOCH  
Winstone?

(MAGEE's eyes go wide.)

MAGEE  
Yeah. Winstone! I've heard that name! I'm sure! Johnson was worried about somebody named Winstone! That name I can say I heard for sure!

(CUT TO: Murdoch's office, later that afternoon. MURDOCH is reviewing his notes as OGDEN approaches and knocks. OGDEN is carrying several notes with a diagram and annotations and computations; she looks fatigued. The diagram includes a drawing that is different from the drawings seen earlier; there is an outline of the victim's body with several lines and arcs, with distances and angles being shown. The diagram is very detailed. There are also several pages of mathematical computations. MURDOCH looks up to see OGDEN, smiles, rises, and beckons her in.)

OGDEN  
I hope I'm not intruding.

MURDOCH  
Not at all! (indicating reports on his desk) We have identified three suspects, and an independent witness confirms that he heard the names of these suspects being spoken. Constables Crabtree, Higgins, and Pearson are in the process of finding these three men. I hope to question all three tomorrow.

OGDEN  
I thought I would show you my reconstruction of the shooting of Johnny Teller.

(MURDOCH clears a space on his desk as OGDEN lays out the documents. MURDOCH is noticeably impressed by the work that has been done; he focuses on the diagram showing the drawing of the victim.)

OGDEN  
I have used George Crabtree's measurements of the distances involved to compute other distances and to compute these angles. My computations are here (pointing to the pages of computations) in case you want to check my maths.

MURDOCH  
(impressed) Excellent.

OGDEN  
There were aspects of this shooting that were unclear to me. I hoped this diagram would help clarify things.

MURDOCH  
It would seem that it did. (examining the diagrams) It would appear that we have some ranges of distance and angles?

OGDEN  
Correct. The most likely scenario is between the extremes.

MURDOCH  
Wait a moment. This arc, it represents?

(MURDOCH points to an arc centred on the drawing of the victim's body.)

OGDEN  
It represents the minimum distance from which the weapon was fired.

(MURDOCH is befuddled. He points to places on the drawing.)

MURDOCH  
That would mean that the fatal shot was fired from less than two feet above the floor. About eighteen inches above the floor.

OGDEN  
Yes. Perhaps a bit higher; but more likely, lower.

MURDOCH  
But certainly below waist height. I had assumed that the killer had fired upward from waist height. But if your computations are correct, the killer would have fired from well below waist height. The shot would have been fired from near the floor. Why would the killer do that?

(MURDOCH is puzzled; he now understands why OGDEN had a hard time understanding what happened. OGDEN shrugs a little. FADE OUT.)


	3. Act 3

(FADE IN. Establishing shot of Station House Number Four, next morning. CUT TO: Int. of the Station House, Interview Room. Arthur FARRELL is in the hot seat, guarded by CRABTREE. MURDOCH sits opposite. FARRELL is in his mid-twenties and is of average build.)

MURDOCH  
Mister Farrell, do you know why you are here?

FARRELL  
Because I got arrested.

CRABTREE  
(with some irritation) You will recall that I offered you the opportunity to come with me voluntarily, and you declined.

FARRELL  
Your constable said I'm suspected of several robberies.

CRABTREE  
(correcting) Burglaries, not robberies.

FARRELL  
(carelessly) Robberies, burglaries, what's the difference?

CRABTREE  
(explaining) Stealing from a person is a robbery; stealing from a building is a burg—

FARRELL  
(interrupting) Are you going to charge me?

MURDOCH  
That remains to be seen. First, I want to ask you about Johnny Teller.

FARRELL  
(suspicious) What about him?

MURDOCH  
Do you know Johnny Teller?

FARRELL  
(more suspicious) Yeah.

MURDOCH  
When did you last see Johnny Teller?

FARRELL  
I don't know. Two months ago, maybe. Ran into him in a pub. Didn't have nothing to say to him.

MURDOCH  
Did you see him more recently than that? Perhaps in the past week?

FARRELL  
(really suspicious) No. Why?

MURDOCH  
He was shot to death yesterday morning.

(FARRELL is speechless. )

MURDOCH  
Where were you yesterday morning?

FARRELL  
(stammering) I was, I was, I was with friends. (suddenly enthused) One of them was Walter Pohler! He'll back me up! You know Walter, don't you?

MURDOCH  
(somewhat impressed) Yes, I know Mister Pohler, as a respected businessman. At what time were you with him?

FARRELL  
All morning. From six-thirty to noon. We were talking about building a factory addition. Talk to Walter.

MURDOCH  
I will.

(CUT TO: Interview Room, later. BOOTHE is in the chair. BOOTHE is a normal-sized fellow, but he is not cooperative or talkative. MURDOCH and CRABTREE are where they were before.)

MURDOCH  
Mister Boothe, did you know Johnny Teller?

(BOOTHE is reluctant to cooperate.)

BOOTHE  
I don't know that name.

MURDOCH  
We have been led to understand that you hired Johnny Teller to steal a painting.

(BOOTHE sits stone-faced.)

MURDOCH  
(continuing) And that you paid Mister Teller a sum in advance. But Mister Teller did not steal the painting, nor deliver the painting to you, and so you wished to have that sum paid back. And that sum has not been paid back.

BOOTHE  
So I am to be charged with hiring an art thief, am I?

MURDOCH  
Mister Teller was killed yesterday moring.

(BOOTHE's expression is largely unchanged, although there may be a hint of surprise. MURDOCH waits a moment, then continues.)

MURDOCH  
Where were you yesterday morning?

BOOTHE  
Traveling. Traveling by train from London. All morning. On my way back from my brother's wedding. You can take my word for it, or I can bring you my train ticket to prove what I say. And everyone at the wedding can verify my whereabouts.

(MURDOCH nods, perhaps recognizing this suspect has a solid alibi. CUT TO: Interview Room, later, with WINSTONE in the chair. WINSTONE is a smaller man, but only a bit smaller than average. WINSTONE is very uncooperative but is not hostile. MURDOCH and CRABTREE are where they were before.)

MURDOCH  
Mister Winstone, the Constabulary has learned that you were the victim of a crime: a theft of a ledger of some kind.

WINSTONE  
I don't know what you are talking about, sir.

MURDOCH  
We have information that your property was stolen, and that you believed that the thief was a man named Johnny Teller.

(WINSTONE takes a moment before responding, then responds carefully.)

WINSTONE  
I reported no such theft.

MURDOCH  
Johnny Teller was shot and killed yesterday morning.

(WINSTONE tries to hide his reaction; for a moment, he seems smug.)

WINSTONE  
What has that to do with me?

MURDOCH  
Where were you, yesterday morning?

WINSTONE  
At home.

MURDOCH  
(serious) Was anyone with you, who could verify that you were at your home?

(WINSTONE sits silent for a moment.)

WINSTONE  
I do not like the tone of your question, sir.

MURDOCH  
Allow me to repeat it in a different tone. (smiling, more genial) Mister Winstone, I was wondering whether you would be so kind as to tell me whether there are any persons who could verify that you were at your home yesterday morning.

(WINSTONE fumes.)

WINSTONE  
(slowly) I didn't kill anyone!

MURDOCH  
I take it that you have no witnesses to corroborate your alibi.

(WINSTONE is getting angry. He nods as if he understands what is going on.)

WINSTONE  
Someone's trying to make me look like I killed Teller! Well, I didn't!

MURDOCH  
You knew Johnny Teller, then?

WINSTONE  
I knew who he was. If someone killed him, it wasn't me!

MURDOCH  
How did you know Johnny Teller?

WINSTONE  
I don't want to talk about this! If you're trying to trick me into admitting that I killed Teller, I won't do it!

MURDOCH  
I'm trying to get to the truth.

WINSTONE  
I did not kill Teller! I didn't do ANYTHING that might have led to Teller's death. That, sir, is the truth! And I'm not going to sit here while you try to get me to say things that will be used against me!

(WINSTONE folds his arms on his chest in a gesture of stubbornness. MURDOCH leans back and sighs. CUT TO: Murdoch's Office, later. MURDOCH is alone, speaking on the telephone. BRACKENREID approaches the office, but does not interrupt the telephone conversation.)

MURDOCH  
(on the telephone) And you're confident, Mister Pohler, that Mister Farrell was with you that entire time? (pause, listening) Oh, I see, and— (pause, listening) Oh, they would say so as well? (pause, listening) No, no, that won't be necessary at this time. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me, Mister Pohler. Good-bye.

(MURDOCH hangs up. BRACKENREID steps closer.)

BRACKENREID  
From the sound of that, I'd wager that one of your suspects in the Teller case has an alibi.

MURDOCH  
Yes. Mister Farrell has a solid alibi. Mister Boothe, as it happens, has an alibi as well, not quite as solid as Mister Farrell's, but it does seem to hold up. Mister Winstone, however, has no corroboration for his whereabouts. There is, however, insufficient evidence to charge Mister Winstone with the crime, so I have released him.

(BRACKENREID glances around quickly to be sure no one is eavesdropping.)

BRACKENREID  
Yeah, Winstone. Let me tell you a little about Winstone. I just spoke by telephone with Michael Pendragon at Station House Two. It seems Mikey and his boys know this Winstone rather well. It also seems that they have evidence that this Winstone was trying to buy a gun to kill somebody. They found out through informers that Winstone was looking to hire a man with a gun, and when told how expensive that would be, Winstone began making discreet inquiries about acquiring a firearm of his own. (gravely) And there is evidence that indeed he obtained a firearm.

MURDOCH  
Intriguing.

BRACKENREID  
You haven't heard the best part. According to Mikey Pendragon, they have evidence that the man Winstone wanted to kill was none other than Johnny Teller. Winstone wanted revenge because Teller stole some sort of ledger from Winstone. That ledger, I'm told, held a list of names of people who owed him money or could provide very useful services to Winstone in his criminal operations.

MURDOCH  
Making the ledger quite valuable.

BRACKENREID  
Yes. Mikey says that he'd REALLY like to track down that mysterious 'Mister Grey' who now has that ledger, but he has no leads indicating who that might be. Mikey also says he has been collecting evidence on Winstone and his 'associates' for some time now; and that he expected to arrest Winstone and seize that ledger; and then the ledger would be a key piece of evidence against Winstone; but that plan was ruined when Teller stole the thing. Mikey was angry about that, but not nearly as angry as Winstone. Mikey says that Winstone was angry enough to kill Teller. Mikey even says that he's got witnesses who would swear that Winstone was trying to find out where Teller lived!

(MURDOCH nods; that all sounds pretty damning to him.)

MURDOCH  
I will have the constables find Mister Winstone and bring him here for further questioning.

BRACKENREID  
(smiling) I've already given that order.

MURDOCH  
Excellent, sir.

BRACKENREID  
And I've arranged for a warrant to have Winstone's home searched for a weapon, although I expect that no weapon will be found, since Winstone left his firearm at the scene of the crime.

MURDOCH  
That would appear to be the case, sir.

(BRACKENREID moves a bit closer toward MURDOCH, to speak confidentially.)

BRACKENREID  
So, before you question Winstone further, Murdoch, there are a few things you need to know. Most important is this: you cannot let on that you know Winstone owned a pistol. You cannot tell him that you know that he was planning to murder Teller.

MURDOCH  
In other words, I cannot reveal to him that I know any information that was obtained from the informers.

BRACKENREID  
Precisely.

MURDOCH  
We have to build a case against Mister Winstone on the assumption that the informers will not be witnesses, and their true identities will remain secret.

BRACKENREID  
Yes. Don't say a word about Mikey Pendragon, or Station House Two, either. Don't let Winstone know that we've talked to Mikey.

MURDOCH  
I understand, sir. I will be careful.

BRACKENREID  
Good man.

(BRACKENREID turns to leave.)

MURDOCH  
Sir.

(BRACKENREID stops and turns to face MURDOCH.)

MURDOCH  
I wonder whether I might discuss with you how the crime was committed.

BRACKENREID  
All right.

MURDOCH  
Johnny Teller was shot at about seven-ten in the morning. The evidence indicates that whoever shot him was admitted into the room by Teller himself.

BRACKENREID  
No forced entry.

MURDOCH  
Correct. Also, there is no evidence of shouting or loud knocking on the door to gain entry, which would have been heard by others in the building. Further, the fact that Mister Teller was washed and dressed indicates that he was expecting the visitor, who would eventually shoot him.

BRACKENREID  
And the expected visitor would not be likely to be a stranger.

MURDOCH  
I agree; but I must recognize that it is nevertheless POSSIBLE that the visitor was a stranger. Whoever the visitor was, he was invited in. There was some conversation, but we don't know what was said. At seven ten, the visitor fired a pistol, and hit Mister Teller. Mister Teller was fatally wounded. We know that Mister Teller was himself armed with a pistol, but his pistol remained concealed in his coat.

BRACKENREID  
Suggesting he was shot by surprise. The two men were talking, then suddenly the visitor pulled out a firearm and shot.

MURDOCH  
That seems to be the way the evidence points.

BRACKENREID  
And then the killer simply left. After wiping his finger marks from the weapon, that is.

MURDOCH  
After Mister Teller was shot, the killer did leave the scene, yes. He had several possible routes by which he could get away; and he was not seen escaping. As for whether the killer may have wiped his finger marks from the weapon, the evidence is less clear; we have recovered several partial finger marks, though not enough to be of use in identification.

BRACKENREID  
Are you saying he wiped his finger marks, but did a poor job of it?

MURDOCH  
Hard to say. It's possible he did not fire the gun in a usual manner, and that may account for a lack of useful finger marks.

BRACKENREID  
Eh?

MURDOCH  
(shaking his head) The shooting itself seems very odd.

BRACKENREID  
How so?

MURDOCH  
For one thing, the shot was fired upward. Originally, I had thought the shot was from waist height. But Doctor Ogden's very careful reconstruction indicates, in a rather convincing fashion, that the shot was fired from a place closer to the floor.

(MURDOCH kneels down and forms a 'pistol' with his fingers. He demonstrates as he talks.)

MURDOCH  
It is as though the killer were kneeling and firing upward from this position, with his hands no more than two feet off the floor, and probably closer to one foot off the floor. Now, why would a killer fire from such a position?

(BRACKENREID paces and ponders a moment, then thinks he's got it.)

BRACKENREID  
To gain an element of surprise. The killer might kneel down on a pretense of tying his shoe, then retrieve a hidden pistol affixed to his ankle. In fact, earlier the killer might have even opened his coat to show Teller that he was unarmed, when in fact, he really was armed, with a firearm hidden on his lower leg. And that's why Teller's guard was down; he thought the man was unarmed.

MURDOCH  
I had those same thoughts exactly, sir. The pistol in question was fairly large, but could be readily concealed under a pant leg. Furthermore, the nature of the shot indicates that the shot was not carefully aimed, and the weapon may have been fumbled when fired, causing the weapon to fall quickly to the floor after firing. Had the shot been aimed, at this range Mister Teller would have been more likely to be struck in the head or the chest. Instead, he was struck (indicating his own throat) in the throat. This suggests that the pistol was aimed and fired in haste, so as to be a surprise. And as it happened, the shot that was fired was fatal.

(MURDOCH stands.)

MURDOCH  
And if the pistol were hastily pulled and fired, it might not have been held in the usual fashion; which may account for the lack of usable finger marks, as well as for the killer losing a grip upon the weapon after firing it.

BRACKENREID  
That all seems to make sense. There was a quick shot, poorly aimed, but nevertheless successful. The shot killed Johnny Teller. The killer took a moment to determine that Teller had been mortally wounded, so no additional shot was necessary; then the killer made a quick escape.

MURDOCH  
Except it still doesn't quite make sense.

BRACKENREID  
(curious and slightly disappointed) Why not?

MURDOCH  
Actually, there are several reasons. Let us assume for the moment that Mister Teller was shot by someone with whom he had a dispute.

BRACKENREID  
Such as Winstone, who came under a flag of truce to negotiate a settlement to their dispute, maybe.

MURDOCH  
Yes. If Mister Teller and the killer, whoever he was, were negotiating some sort arrangement or settlement to their dispute, then murder would be utterly inconsistent with negotiation. Instead of making a bargain in which he might stand to GAIN something, the killer gets nothing except for the death of the victim. The killer gets his revenge, yes; but he thereby places himself in severe legal jeopardy; he makes himself a candidate for hanging.

BRACKENREID  
Murder during a negotiation? It's happened before.

(CRABTREE appears at the door.)

BRACKENREID  
It's one of the most vile and underhanded things a killer can do, and it may not make a lot of sense; but it has been done.

CRABTREE  
(interrupting) Beg your pardon, sirs, but we have Mister Winstone available for questioning. Constables are in the process of searching his residence now.

(MURDOCH nods; he proceeds to get ready to go to the Interview Room. BRACKENREID stops MURDOCH momentarily.)

BRACKENREID  
(to MURDOCH) Don't forget what I told you.

MURDOCH  
I remember, sir. I will protect the informers' identities.

(CUT TO: Interview room. WINSTONE is in the chair, guarded by CRABTREE, with MURDOCH sitting opposite.)

MURDOCH  
Mister Winstone, we have evidence that Johnny Teller was concerned about threats to his safety, threats from you.

WINSTONE  
You're saying you have a witness who places me a the scene of the crime, are you? Your witness is a liar!

MURDOCH  
I'm saying, sir, that we have at least one witness who can testify that Johnny Teller was worried about violent action against him by you.

WINSTONE  
You got that from Teller's little brother.

MURDOCH  
So you knew Johnny Teller had a brother?

WINSTONE  
I've never denied it. The little brother is the one trying to lay the guilt on me, isn't he? So he told you that Johnny was afraid of me. Right?

MURDOCH  
We also have the word of a neighbour of Johnny Teller, who overheard Mister Teller's concerns about threats you posed.

WINSTONE  
This is all a deliberate attempt to make me look guilty. I see what you're trying to do.

MURDOCH  
Sir, did you threaten Johnny Teller?

(WINSTONE sits silent and stubborn.)

MURDOCH  
Sir, did you pose any danger to Johnny Teller?

(WINSTONE sits silent and stubborn.)

MURDOCH  
If not, do you have any explanation as to why Johnny Teller and his brother might have been afraid of you?

WINSTONE  
You're trying to get me to admit guilt. I won't!

MURDOCH  
I'm trying to get to the truth.

(HIGGINS enters the Interview Room. As MURDOCH pauses to frame his next question, HIGGINS gets MURDOCH's attention.)

HIGGINS  
Sir, we have completed the search of Mister Winstone's residence. I was told you wanted a report immediately upon our return to the Station House?

MURDOCH  
Quite right, constable. (rising) Mister Winstone, I will return in a few minutes. While I am gone, I would like you to give some thought to the question I put to you earlier: Can you explain why Johnny Teller was afraid of you? And also give some thought to this: if you think that someone is trying to make you look responsible for a crime that you did not commit, can you tell us who would do such a thing? (to CRABTREE) Please take care of Mister Winstone. (to HIGGINS) Let's go to my office.

(CUT TO: Murdoch's office. MURDOCH and HIGGINS stand. BRACKENREID quietly joins the group. HIGGINS holds a box; he removes from the box a pistol and some bullets, and places them on Murdoch's desk.)

HIGGINS  
We found this weapon hidden in Mister Winstone's residence, sir, with ammunition. We found nothing else incriminating. The weapon was hidden in a secret compartment in a desk.

(MURDOCH examines the weapon and bullets.)

MURDOCH  
This seems to be a pistol of a small caliber. Smaller than the weapon that killed Mister Teller. And these cartridges seem to go with the small caliber firearm.

HIGGINS  
I concur, sir; I noticed that as well.

MURDOCH  
I take it you did not find any ammunition of a larger caliber.

HIGGINS  
That is correct, sir, we did not.

(MURDOCH thinks and knits his brow, the hands the weapon and bullets back to HIGGINS.)

MURDOCH  
Thank you, Constable, you may carry on.

HIGGINS  
Thank you, sir.

(MURDOCH ponders. CUT TO: Interview Room. MURDOCH returns to the Interview Room and sits. CRABTREE and WINSTONE are as they were previously. WINSTONE has his arms folded across his chest.)

MURDOCH  
Well, Mister Winstone. (pause) From your general reluctance to respond to my questions, I can surmise that you have been involved in considerable activity of questionable legality.

(WINSTONE glowers but says nothing.)

MURDOCH  
If I am right about that, that you are engaged in activities that may be running afoul of the law, I want you to know this: I am not presently interested in those activities. I am interested, however, in finding the person responsible for the death of Johnny Teller. And so, I want to ask you whether you have given any further thought to the questions I put to you a few minutes ago, and in particular, (pause) who might be interested in making you take the blame for a murder (longer pause) that you did not commit?

(WINSTONE's glower fades and he looks mildly surprised. He uncrosses his arms. His facial expressions suggest he may reevaluating whether he might be willing to cooperate. FADE OUT.)


	4. Act 4

(FADE IN. Establishing shot of Toronto. CUT TO: Ext. of Station House Number Four. CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Interview Room. CALVIN sits in the chair patiently; MURDOCH sits opposite. A CONSTABLE stands guard over CALVIN.)

MURDOCH  
Mister Teller, we have checked out your confession to the MacKinnon burglary, and our investigation shows that your confession to that burglary appears to be valid. Your confession is corroborated by the evidence we have, and in addition, you have supplied us with information about the crime that only the burglar himself could know.

(CALVIN nods, and smiles a little, pleased with himself.)

MURDOCH  
However—

(CALVIN's smile evaporates.)

MURDOCH  
However, you were in error as to the value of the property stolen— it was less than five dollars. Even if you were to plead guilty and the court were to accept your plea, your sentence would not be very lengthy, and you would not be held in prison very long, if at all.

CALVIN  
(worried) You can't release me! If you let me out of here, I'm a dead man!

MURDOCH  
We cannot hold you indefinitely without charges.

CALVIN  
I confessed to two other burglaries, didn't I? More serious burglaries!

MURDOCH  
Those confessions are suspect. In both cases, your confession is inconsistent with the evidence that we have. Further, we have affirmative evidence that you were NOT involved with at least one of those crimes.

CALVIN  
(flustered) But, I— Winstone will kill me if I get out!

MURDOCH  
I take it you're not worried as much about the other men you named, Mister Boothe or Mister Farrell?

CALVIN  
No, I mean, yes, but, I'd thought I'd made it clear that Winstone was the prime suspect.

(MURDOCH makes a face, as if something CALVIN said was disingenuous.)

CALVIN  
I told you that I was willing to confess to stealing a ledger from Winstone—

MURDOCH  
(coolly) We have no evidence of such a theft, and Mister Winstone has not reported any such crime.

(CALVIN is unsure what he can do.)

CALVIN  
Have you talked to Winstone?

MURDOCH  
Yes, I have, and he in fact has flatly denied that any such crime occurred.

(CALVIN is even more ill-at-ease; he tries a different approach.)

CALVIN  
Answer me straight, Detective Murdoch— You do think Winstone wanted to kill my brother and me, don't you?

MURDOCH  
(carefully) Yes. I do.

CALVIN  
I'd heard that Winstone even obtained a pistol, and intended to kill us with it!

MURDOCH  
(nodding) There is evidence to that effect.

CALVIN  
Again, answer me straight— Do you think that Winstone would want to kill me if I were to be released? Not only that he would WANT to kill me, but that he would TRY to kill me?

(MURDOCH hesitates.)

MURDOCH  
Yes.

CALVIN  
So if you put me back out on the street, Winstone will come for me! You have to keep me in custody for my own safety!

(MURDOCH scowls, then rises.)

MURDOCH  
I need to look into a few things. It is possible, Mister Teller, that I can give you an answer shortly as to whether we can continue to hold you in custody for your own protection.

(CALVIN is uneasy with such a vague assurance, but nods. CUT TO: Brackenreid's office. BRACKENREID is taking off his coat and hat and hanging them up, as though he just returned from somewhere; all the while he holding a file. MURDOCH stands.)

BRACKENREID  
Calvin Teller told you that he thinks Winstone will come after him? And you told Calvin Teller that you believe that to be true?

MURDOCH  
I did. Because I do believe it to be true.

BRACKENREID  
Then you're certain Winstone had a motive to commit the murder of Johnny Teller?

MURDOCH  
Very certain. Mister Winstone has admitted as much to me. He wanted revenge against Johnny Teller. He has admitted to having the motive. And he holds a grudge against Johnny Teller's brother Calvin as well.

BRACKENREID  
(very concerned) And you're satisfied that the informants' identities have been protected?

MURDOCH  
Yes. I told Mister Winstone nothing, except what has been found in OUR investigation. I referred to no mysterious witnesses or other sources of information, nor did I mention Station House Number Two or any other investigation. Mister Winstone himself raised the issue of other possible investigations, but I did not. Indeed, I feigned surprise when he raised the subject.

BRACKENREID  
(snickering) All right.

MURDOCH  
He and I discussed a bargain of sorts, although I told him that any bargain would be subject to your approval.

BRACKENREID  
(cautious) What sort of bargain?

MURDOCH  
He proposed the following: he would explain why he believes someone may be trying to have him take the blame for the murder of Johnny Teller, and who that someone would be; in return for which, we would not share anything he tells us with any other investigators.

BRACKENREID  
(summarily) No deal!

(MURDOCH makes a gesture that there is a bit more to it.)

MURDOCH  
There's a bit more to it, sir. I said that we MIGHT agree, BUT it would at least have to be on the condition that we would not permit Mister Winstone to give false testimony, either to any other policeman or in any court of law. For example, if Mister Winstone tells me one thing, then testifies the opposite way in court, the deal would be off. I told him I would not give him licence to lie to the authorities or to commit perjury.

(BRACKENREID thinks about it.)

BRACKENREID  
Did he say he'd agree to such a condition?

MURDOCH  
Not exactly.

BRACKENREID  
(pondering) I've got to think that bargain over a little, Murdoch. I'm not sure I like it. I'm not certain we can make a bargain of any sort with this bastard.

MURDOCH  
I understand. I have a plan for how to proceed in the event you decide this is a bad bargain.

BRACKENREID  
(smugly) Would you care to let me in on your plan?

MURDOCH  
Of course, sir. My plan is based upon the assumption that what Mister Winstone would tell us would be of little value in any event.

BRACKENREID  
Eh?

(MURDOCH takes a moment.)

MURDOCH  
Given what we know, and given Julia's most helpful medical evaluation of the shooting, and considering our earlier discussion of the facts of the case, the details of the crime simply do not make sense. I doubt any testimony from Mister Winstone would help them to make sense.

BRACKENREID  
I don't follow.

MURDOCH  
Let us review what we know. Johnny Teller, and his brother Calvin, are in fear for their lives. They believe that some people— one of whom is Mister Winstone— are plotting to kill them. This fear is TOTALLY reasonable; Mister Winstone IS INDEED plotting to kill them. On the morning of his death, Johnny Teller meets with someone, who would, after a few minutes, kill Johnny Teller.

BRACKENREID  
That someone may have been one of the people that Johnny and Calvin were afraid of. Winstone or someone else who was after them.

MURDOCH  
(not wanting to contradict) Possibly.

BRACKENREID  
Whoever it was, that someone came to the meeting armed with a pistol. But Johnny Teller thought that someone wasn't armed.

MURDOCH  
(still not wanting to contradict) Possibly.

BRACKENREID  
That someone engaged Johnny Teller in peaceful conversation, probably a negotiation. Then, when Johnny's guard was down, that someone knelt down, pulled a hidden pistol from his ankle, and shot and killed Johnny Teller.

MURDOCH  
That scenario is one possibility we have discussed, and it is supported by the evidence. But it is not the only possibility. And there are serious problems with that scenario.

BRACKENREID  
Such as?

MURDOCH  
According to the evidence, Johnny Teller was in hiding. Now, why would Johnny Teller invite someone he feared would kill him— to his place of hiding? Even if that someone were there to negotiate a truce or a bargain, such negotiations would be expected to take place on a neutral site, not in Mister Teller's secret hideout. What if negotiations were to fail? Johnny Teller's most valuable secret would be lost. What if the someone promised to 'come alone' but did not actually come alone? Johnny Teller could be ambushed.

(BRACKENREID looks concerned.)

BRACKENREID  
I see what you mean. Even if that someone were to be alone and unarmed, Johnny Teller would be a right fool to hold the meeting in his own place of refuge.

MURDOCH  
Yes. If Johnny Teller were modestly intelligent— which we know he was, as our records note how clever he was— he would not welcome an enemy to his hiding place, whether that enemy were armed or not.

BRACKENREID  
He wouldn't invite an enemy. But he might welcome—

MURDOCH  
— An ally?

(CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Interview Room. CALVIN sits in the chair; MURDOCH and BRACKENREID sit opposite. A CONSTABLE stands guard over CALVIN.)

MURDOCH  
Mister Teller, we have decided to charge you and hold you in custody.

CALVIN  
(with relief) Bless me.

BRACKENREID  
Don't give your thanks too early, boy.

CALVIN  
Eh?

MURDOCH  
We have not yet decided whether to charge you with any of those burglaries you told us about.

CALVIN  
(puzzled) Eh?

MURDOCH  
Rather, we are going to charge you with homicide, resulting in the death of your brother, and with lying to us about it.

CALVIN  
What!?

MURDOCH  
Those three men you identified as suspects— Messrs. Farrell, Boothe, and Winstone— two of them have alibis.

CALVIN  
But— but Winstone doesn't have an alibi, does he?

MURDOCH  
Mister Winstone denies killing your brother, and there is evidence to back up his story.

CALVIN  
But Winstone doesn't have an alibi, does he?

MURDOCH  
Correct; he does not.

CALVIN  
He obtained a pistol, didn't he?

MURDOCH  
He did.

CALVIN  
And you told me that you believe Winstone wants to kill me!

MURDOCH  
Yes. I believe Mister Winstone has a motive to kill you, and had a motive to kill your brother. And I believe he obtained a firearm for the very purpose of killing your brother and you. But the pistol that Mister Winstone obtained was not the pistol that killed your brother. We found Mister Winstone's pistol hidden in his home. And I don't believe Mister Winstone did kill your brother. (pause) I believe YOU did.

CALVIN  
(momentarily speechless) I loved my brother! I did not murder him!

MURDOCH  
I did not say you murdered him.

CALVIN  
What!?

MURDOCH  
Mister Teller, you have been truthful with me in part, and deceptive in part. I believe that you genuinely were in fear for your life from Mister Winstone, among others, and that some of these people, including at least Mister Winstone, wanted to kill you and your brother. On those points, you were truthful.

CALVIN  
I—

MURDOCH  
But you were not honest with us on other important questions. It was YOU with your brother in his room that morning.

(FLASHBACK in MURDOCH's mind to JOHNNY's room, with JOHNNY and CALVIN talking. MURDOCH sees himself as a witness. JOHNNY and CALVIN are dressed similarly, to look like businessmen in jackets and ties. JOHNNY and CALVIN talk, very worried; their voices are urgent but muted and they do not shout. JOHNNY stands by the place where his body was found. CALVIN sits on a chair near the foot of the bed, bending forward, holding his head. MURDOCH narrates.)

MURDOCH (V.O.)  
You and your brother were very concerned about threats to your life.

CALVIN  
(in flashback) It's just as you said! Winstone has a gun! He's out looking for us. It's only a matter of time before he finds me or you.

JOHNNY  
(in flashback) It's come to this, then. We can't hide forever. We have to be ready to defend ourselves.

CALVIN  
(in flashback) Defend ourselves, how?

(JOHNNY pulls a pistol from his pocket and offers it to CALVIN, who is reluctant to take it, but eventually does, holding it awkwardly.)

JOHNNY  
(in flashback) I've got one for myself, too.

(JOHNNY pats the place on his coat where his gun was found on his body. CALVIN sits and examines the pistol, with trepidation.)

JOHNNY  
(in flashback) Be careful. It's loaded.

(CALVIN is frightened by the situation; he handles the pistol as if it were diseased. He nervously fiddles with the hammer.)

JOHNNY  
(in flashback) We hoped it would never come to this. But the coppers can't protect us. We have to be ready to protect ourselves.

CALVIN  
(in flashback) But Johnny, I don't know how to use one of these!

(JOHNNY starts to extend his hand toward CALVIN, then a series of events happen in SLOW MOTION. CALVIN fumbles the pistol, and tries to catch it before it hits the floor. CALVIN'S actions cause the pistol, which is pointed in the direction of JOHNNY, to fire; the pistol is about a foot from the floor. A laceration appears on JOHNNY's hand. A bullet hole and blood stain appear on the wall behind JOHNNY. CALVIN is startled but not horrified at first. The pistol strikes the floor with a loud clunk (SFX). JOHNNY brings his hand to his now-bleeding throat, his eyes wide. CALVIN sees what is happening to JOHNNY and the horror of the event begins to grip him. The smoking pistol comes to rest on the floor. JOHNNY's eyes roll and he falls where he stood. CALVIN leaps up, terrified, uncertain what to do. He stoops and touches JOHNNY in an attempt to rouse him, but JOHNNY is still.)

CALVIN  
(quietly, breathless, in flashback) Johnny?!

(CALVIN looks around, terrified. After about five seconds, he bolts out the door, which closed of its own accord behind him. FLASHBACK ENDS. In the Interview Room, CALVIN is emotionally distraught.)

MURDOCH  
This scenario is supported by our coroner, who would testify that the shot was fired upward at an extreme angle. It is also supported by the testimony of one or more residents of the building, who heard voices, then a shot, then immediately a gun hitting the floor. We also found your finger marks in the room, and no finger marks of any other suspect.

(MURDOCH lets this sink in. CALVIN is very emotional and has his eyes closed.)

MURDOCH  
(more gently) That the shooting was accidental is strongly suggested by the circumstances, in that the shot was not deliberately aimed, and that the pistol was fumbled upon firing. It was simply a matter of bad luck that the shot was fatal to your brother.

CALVIN  
(quietly) Cleaning.

MURDOCH  
Pardon me?

CALVIN  
Johnny was telling me how to go about cleaning the gun. I mishandled it, almost dropped it, and it went off. Johnny was— he fell. I knew I'd killed him. I didn't mean to!

(MURDOCH backs off.)

BRACKENREID  
Accidental shootings often aren't serious crimes. They're accidents. You should have been honest with us.

CALVIN  
(distraught) How do I explain it? I was alone! My brother was gone, and it was my fault! We couldn't got to the police! Winstone was after us! What could I do? What could I do?!

BRACKENREID  
You just said you couldn't go to the police. But you forget that eventually you DID go to the police, didn't you? You surrendered to one of our constables, then told some concocted story that there were three people who were trying to kill you and your brother.

CALVIN  
Those stories were true!

BRACKENREID  
But you knew none of them killed your brother! You did!

MURDOCH  
You were hoping that we would incarcerate Mister Winstone, and thereby save you from the threat he posed. It was not a very well-thought-out plan.

BRACKENREID  
Though I suppose, in your state of mind, it was the best you could come up with.

MURDOCH  
And it almost worked; there was considerable evidence of motive, and Mister Winstone was placed in the position of possibly having to admit involvement in some serious crimes, in order to save himself from the noose.

CALVIN  
Hang me.

MURDOCH  
If your brother's death was accidental, as it seems to have been, you will not hang.

CALVIN  
I might as well hang. Winstone is going to think I've tried to pin a murder on him. He'll get me for sure, now.

BRACKENREID  
Perhaps not.

CALVIN  
(puzzled) Eh? Why?

MURDOCH  
You told us a great deal about the theft of Mister Winstone's ledger, and how you sold it to a 'Mister Grey.' There are some detectives in the Toronto Constabulary that would be very interested in whether you can supply more details to that story. Anything you could tell them would be helpful. Your assistance may even lead to the arrest and conviction of Mister Winstone.

(CALVIN ponders this, but not for long.)

CALVIN  
I'll answer any questions they have!

(MURDOCH and BRACKENREID exchange glances. FADE OUT.)


	5. Act 5

(FADE IN. ESTABLISHING SHOT OF TORONTO, evening. CUT TO: Ext. of Station House Number Four. CUT TO: Int. of Station House Number Four, Murdoch's office. The office door is open. Some lamps illuminate the office. MURDOCH looks at a diagram on his desk; the drawing is the one seen earlier showing the position of the victim's body and the various distances and angles associated with the shot that killed him, along with pages of computations. MURDOCH is admiring the documents, especially the diagram. OGDEN quietly enters through the door, and MURDOCH notices.)

OGDEN  
It has been a long day, William, and I am famished!

(MURDOCH makes like he is getting ready to leave, but the document holds his attention.)

MURDOCH  
I was just admiring your work. And I was wondering whether I would have been able to resolve the Teller case (indicating the diagram) without this document. How long did it take to make it?

OGDEN  
(with a sigh) Much longer than I expected.

MURDOCH  
George Crabtree measured the distances, but I take it that you computed the angles?

OGDEN  
George's measurements of the distances were rather good, for the most part, but there were some distances he did not measure, and I had to calculate them based upon his other measurements. I also used George's measurements to compute these angles. At first, I thought that I would not have very much to compute, but that assumption was mistaken. I had find one of my handbooks, which had sine and cosine tables. I also had to interpolate at times, and I had to factor in the uncertainties. Also, the sine and cosine tables in my handbook used radians as units, and I also had to use a table to convert radians to degrees.

(MURDOCH points to several places on the drawing, and also indicates the pages of calculations.)

MURDOCH  
That involved a great deal of calculation! Did you do it all by hand?

OGDEN  
Most of it, yes, I did; but I also used a slide rule to verify whether some of my calculations were correct. My slide rule doesn't offer much precision, and of course I had to keep track of the decimals myself.

MURDOCH  
Yes, I see.

OGDEN  
(with another sigh) It would be nice if I didn't have to do the tedious chore of calculating the proportions and looking up all of these values in tables and interpolating and converting units.

MURDOCH  
Perhaps some day, someone will invent a machine will do all that for us, and with better precision. Perhaps the machine will be small enough to be carried in the hand, like a slide rule. In fact, it might make the slide rule obsolete!

OGDEN  
Some day.

MURDOCH  
But for now, this is the best we can do. And it was excellent work!

OGDEN  
And it is my sincere hope, William, that I will not have to do anything like it again.

(MURDOCH and OGDEN smile at one another. MURDOCH takes his hat and coat, and MURDOCH and OGDEN exit the office arm-in-arm. FADE OUT.)

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

One of the most fascinating aspects about composing a mystery is how the ideas come into being. Some stories come very easy. "A Matter of Choice," "Lie Detector," "Nightmares of the Juror"... all came fairly easy, and were pretty good stories, I thought.

This story came hard. There's no reason why; it just did.

The basic concept of this mystery was easy to outline, but so many plot points and developments were created, refined, re-evaluated, and re-written; and many ended up simply being discarded.

I'm told that many writers have experiences like this: the basic story outline is good, but the difficult part is actually telling the story in a cohesive and entertaining fashion. It's sometimes hard to find a telling that "works." My hope is that this story, after all of the writing and re-writing, has turned out to be reasonably good. But this is the first story I've published here in which part of the reason for publication is that I am just sick and tired of working on the damned thing. -DH


End file.
